


Hello Again

by Grateful



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:15:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27091096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grateful/pseuds/Grateful
Summary: A very slow burn of Draco and Harry. This is centered around Draco's redemption.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Kudos: 3





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> None of these characters belong to me! All belong to JKR.

The first time Harry saw Draco after the trial was in Muggle London. At a coffee shop, of all places. And the weirdest part is… he seemed to work there? He knew that Draco was under strict no-magic monitoring as part of his probation, even though Draco got back his wand, after he, Harry, had almost demanded it, but he still never expected to see this. He supposed he hadn’t given Draco much thought since the war ended. He knew that Draco had done even worse on his final exams than Harry had, but they both passed and didn’t need to go back to Hogwarts after all. But after hearing nothing more, not even in the papers-- not that he was looking for any mention of Draco, because he definitely wasn’t-- but Harry had assumed Draco was hiding out back at the Manor not... cleaning espresso machines.

As he processed this, he stood frozen in the doorway, and it was actually causing a bit of a traffic jam. Enough of one that Draco glanced up at the commotion and met his eyes. Which did not help his being-frozen thing, but it looked like Draco was frozen halfway through wiping down a piece of machinery too. They just stared at each other for a long moment. Until Harry caught an elbow to the ribs and let out a huff of surprise. He dropped his eyes and moved out of the way of his fellow commuters, smiling sheepishly at them. As penance, he let everyone pass him and took a place at the very back of the line.

Harry ran his fingers through his hair out of habit, but he didn’t know what he was so nervous about. It’s not like Draco would attack him. And it seemed like they should be past that point anyway after Harry’s impassioned speech in Draco’s-- and his mother’s-- defense and Draco’s albeit reluctant thank you afterwards. Yeah, Harry felt pretty confident that this would be fine. Right?


	2. Two

However, by the time he reached the front of the line, Draco had whispered to one of his coworkers and disappeared to the back. Harry tried to suppress the surge of disappointment at Draco’s retreating back. He ordered some coffee in a mindless fog and settled down near the doorway to drink it. On an impulse, he decided to wait until Draco came back out. The least he could do was say hello. But as the minutes passed with no sign of him, Harry was plagued with doubts. Maybe he should just leave Draco alone. It seems like that’s what he wants, since he’s clearly hiding. 

Just as Harry was sipping the dregs of his coffee and about to give up, Draco appeared and made determined strides toward him. “What are you doing here?” Draco demanded.

Harry sputtered. “Er… I was just um passing by when I smelled the coffee. I haven’t had any yet this morning and it smelled too good to pass up. I swear I didn’t know you worked here.”

Draco relaxed marginally but kept his frown. “Well, I hope you enjoy it,” he said, nodding to the coffee in Harry’s hand. 

“Thanks. It’s good. So erm… how are you?” Harry asked, feeling miserably awkward.

Draco’s frown deepened. “I really don’t need the savior of the wizarding world checking up on me. I’m here to get away from all of that bullshit.”

“Sorry, I’ll just leave,” Harry muttered, deciding to give up. He drained the last of his coffee and stood to leave. He started to make his way to the door, but turned around to Draco standing with his arms crossed where he left him. “It was nice to see you, Malfoy.” Draco’s surprised face was the last thing he saw as the door swung shut behind him.


	3. Three

The next time Harry saw Draco was a few months later. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He had made a habit of walking past the coffee shop and peeking in if he was in the area, which wasn’t often. Grimmauld Place was not very close and Harry was spending his time off traveling. It was nice to see Draco laughing with his coworkers. But he didn’t go in again. The next time he actually spoke to Draco was at a grocery store near the coffee shop. 

Harry wasn’t paying attention as he rounded the corner with his full cart and almost knocked Draco off his feet. 

“What the hell?” Draco exclaimed, dodging out of the way at the last second. He became even angrier when he noticed who almost ran him down. “Seriously, Potter? What are you even doing here?”

Harry’s temper flared to match Draco’s, but he took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying enough attention. Are you okay?”

Draco scowled, but muttered, “I’m fine, no thanks to you.”

They stood awkwardly for a few minutes. Harry couldn’t take it anymore and broke the silence. “Err… how’s work?”

“It’s fine. Look, I have to get going.”

Harry nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Apparently,” Draco smirked, before brushing past him. Harry turned to keep going up the aisle, when Draco called out to him, “Wait.” Harry paused and looked back. Draco frowned, but said, “My mother wanted me to thank you again for your testimony.” 

Harry smiled and said, “I’ll never forget what she did for me. How is she?”

Draco’s mouth twitched up slightly. “She’s good. She’s completely rehabilitating the Manor. After… everything. It’s nice to see the place come back to life. And it’s really nice to see her have a purpose again.”

“Please tell her hello for me,” Harry grinned. “I’m glad she’s doing well.”

Draco nodded briskly and disappeared around the corner. Harry didn’t stop smiling until he was home.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed my first attempt at fan fiction! I will do my best to post this fic as promptly as possible.


End file.
